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#21
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Tipping in USA/Canada
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:35:09 -0800, Robert Cohen
wrote: i suppose one u.s. dollar per customer at a non-pretentious dinner or at a now very common buffet restaurant is reasonable, or in other words, two dollars per couple, et cetera-- you can certainly eventually get sick of 'em, but ryan's and the other buffet restaurants convey unlimited and many varities of food, and i bet few places in the world are this way, ten dollars or less person, unlimited goood food at the fancier class restaurants, tip at least ten percent of the total bill, and of course many or rmost people leave 15 percent or twenty percent or more you'll feel ripped-off at yuppie places like ruby fridays, so wendy et al fast food and those amazing buffet places are best for budget traveller for clothes and chotskies go to the tangar shopping outlet places and several other factory outlet places is where the people genrally seem to be especially on weekends the u.s.a. is pndeed complex, so a guide book wouldn't hurt if one is not affluent, one goes to wendy's etal You can't kid me. You're really Archie the Cockroach, aren't you? -- ************* DAVE HATUNEN ) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * |
#22
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Tipping in USA/Canada
In message Hatunen
wrote: On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:50:17 +0000, Martin D. Pay wrote: I have a sort-of-related question... When I've traveled in the US, sometimes I've paid the whole bill and tip in cash, sometimes paid the whole bill and tip on plastic and sometimes paid the bill on plastic and left the tip on the table in cash. Is there a preferred way (preferred, that is, by the waiting staff)? I sometimes wonder how much the waitress sees of a tip that goes on the plastic and so through the establishment's books... I have the same question and I, too, do it all three ways. I've been assured that the tip goes to the right people when it's put on the credit card But in many establishments the tips all get pooled and split up among the help, including the buspersons. This defeats the whole purpose of tipping proportionate to the service received, and in hope that the waiter will at least see the tip I tend to leave a cash tip even if I pay with a credit card. Unfortunately, in many restaurants the busperson sweeps up the tip while clearing the table. Even so, that means the poor service person is benefiting from the tips of the good service people. Peer pressure will work wonders, if you let it. -- You can get more with a kind word and a 2x4 than just a kind word. |
#23
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Tipping in USA/Canada
Rick Blaine wrote:
Qanset wrote: The wife and I are planning at trip to USA/Canada in the near future. Is it true that the Yanks are really hung up on tipping, and that FORGETTING to tip someone is courting disaster??? The only time I've had retailiation for not tipping was in Vegas. A valet was ****ed that I wouldn't tip him for lift bags out of the trunk at a hotel and passing them to another valet, so he misdirected one of the bags and it took 30 minutes to "find" it. Ah Vegas... I once tried to give a cab driver $3 in quarters on a $10 fare and he refused it. I didn't want to bother him with breaking a $100 bill, so he got no tip. |
#24
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Tipping in USA/Canada
James Robinson wrote:
There are also some shady restaurant owners who demand a cut of the tip revenue. Those are not common. It seems only fare they recoup the credit card fees on the tip charges |
#25
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Tipping in USA/Canada
mrtravel wrote:
James Robinson wrote: There are also some shady restaurant owners who demand a cut of the tip revenue. Those are not common. It seems only fare they recoup the credit card fees on the tip charges Duh... "fair".... mental lapse |
#26
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Tipping in USA/Canada
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 21:29:14 +1100 in rec.travel.air, Qanset
wrote: I'm going to cop a lot of flak on this subject, but never mind I have and open mind on accepting advice on World Travel. if you have an open mind, the usual gratuity for good service is 15 per cent of the tab. it does not apply in fast food places where you take your own food to the table. i understand it does not apply down under, but it does in the americas and europe, so you should get used to it, or expect to get poor service and the worst table in the place. when in rome, do as the romans do, and budget for it. |
#27
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Tipping in USA/Canada
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:21:54 -0700 in rec.travel.air, DevilsPGD
wrote: But in many establishments the tips all get pooled and split up among the help, including the buspersons. This defeats the whole purpose of tipping proportionate to the service received, and in hope that the waiter will at least see the tip I tend to leave a cash tip even if I pay with a credit card. Unfortunately, in many restaurants the busperson sweeps up the tip while clearing the table. Even so, that means the poor service person is benefiting from the tips of the good service people. Peer pressure will work wonders, if you let it. i have waited tables where i kept the entire tip; where i split a proportion with the bartender when they ordered drinks; with the sommelier when i upsold extra wine; with the maitre d' (or i would not have had good customers coming to my tables, and i would be assigned the worst tables in the place); and most recently, where the tips were pooled. i can assure you that when the tips are pooled, poorly performing waitpersons, bussers, and bartenders don't work there very long, because the owner won't want productive waitstaff to all take a walk at once. on a good crew, with a good chef, good boss, and good staff who all work together to make customers feel happy and spend more money, no one has a qualm about splitting tips. and waiting tables, as the european headwaiter who trained me said, is a performance. a good waitperson puts on a show, and makes the customer feel special so she/he *wants* to spend money and tip well. i would suggest to the OP that if they don't want to tip, that they stick to mall food courts, fast food restaurants, and takeout delis or supermarkets. it's an unfortunate fact of life that the american restaurant industry has refused to pay their employees a living wage and expects them to live off tips, to the point that it's actually the law and they will be taxed on tips that the govt expects them to receive even if they don't. europe used to be that way, too. they were civilized enough to add the charge for service on the bill, even though it was optional when i first went to europe in the 70s. now it is included in the bill everywhere, although it is still sometimes put on the bill as a separate charge. also, there will be a mandatory "gratuity charge" for groups in most restaurants. this has been done because there are still too many cheapskates who think that when they're in large groups their failure to tip won't be noticed. if restaurants didn't do this, their staff would refuse to serve large groups. |
#28
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Tipping in USA/Canada
Shawn Hirn wrote:
In article , Qanset wrote: The wife and I are planning at trip to USA/Canada in the near future. Is it true that the Yanks are really hung up on tipping, and that FORGETTING to tip someone is courting disaster??? Like most tourists we will be traveling on a limited budget,this means that anybody expecting free money from us will be advised to look elsewhere. A colleague of mine who honeymooned in Hawaii was told by a tour bus operator, that he EXPECTED gratuities for his efforts, because his job was poorly paid. What more can I say.??? I'm going to cop a lot of flak on this subject, but never mind I have and open mind on accepting advice on World Travel. This is a big subject for debate. Just check this newsgroup's archives on groups.google.com for what was already said. Here's the short version ... Tipping is not a requirement in the USA; however, if you don't tip in full service restaurants, bars, and buffets, you are screwing the people who serve your food out of their pay. Unlike where you live, restaurant workers in the United States depend on tips for their livelihood. These people are not "expecting free money" from you, they are expecting to be paid for the work they do far you. Knowing this, I suggest you proceed with the golden rule, to treat the waitstaff the way you would want to be treated if the situation was reversed. Fair enough, but If I was in that situation I would definitely seek more suitable employment. Fortunately here in Australia, Hospitality staff dont always have to rely on tipping If tipping poses a financial problem for you, then you have an easy option to avoid it. Do not eat at full service restaurants and bars. Stick with fast food places and take out or buy food at grocery stores to eat. I did this on my first trip when backpacking around USA. |
#29
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Tipping in USA/Canada
Hatunen wrote:
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 05:18:27 -0800, mrtravel wrote: Qanset wrote: The wife and I are planning at trip to USA/Canada in the near future. Is it true that the Yanks are really hung up on tipping, and that FORGETTING to tip someone is courting disaster??? Like most tourists we will be traveling on a limited budget,this means that anybody expecting free money from us will be advised to look elsewhere. A colleague of mine who honeymooned in Hawaii was told by a tour bus operator, that he EXPECTED gratuities for his efforts, because his job was poorly paid. What more can I say.??? I'm going to cop a lot of flak on this subject, but never mind I have and open mind on accepting advice on World Travel. Are you telling us you haven't been able to find the answer to your question prior to coming to this newsgroup. Yes, thats corect. The truth is that prices for things such as dining are substantially cheaper in the US than Europe, for example. Two reasons are, of course, that (1) the wages for the wait staff are a very minor part of the amount charged for a meal, and (2) there is no included VAT in the charge. The first item is taken care of by the customer by means of the tip. Having once worked for tips, I tend to be a bit generous and tip close to 20% of the listed charge, but 15% is considered a sort of standard. Tipping has the advantage that you have a way to exprss your displeasure with the service by leaving a smaller tip. But do not leave no tip at all, since it merely makes you appear forgetful. If extremely displeased leave a five or ten cent piece on the table; THAT will send a message. I'm ambivalent about leaving smaller tips for food that displeased me; it's not the waiter's fault. The second item is covered by our sneaky sales taxes, an additional tax on the meal of up to 10% added at the end of the reckoning, depending on the political jurisdiction (a few states, but only a few, have no sales tax). Whatever the advantages or disadvantages of payig wait staff better and the VAT, they at least make life simpler: in Europe the cost on the menu will be the final cost. Given that, and the recent escalation of the dollar's decline, you should just consider it part of the payment. For bad service, I generally leave a few cents, since I don't want them to think I forgot about tipping. To many people, leaving no tip means you simply forgot about it. Oops. Sorry. 19 years ago, I had a waitress call my room at the LAX Marriott and ask if I had forgotten her tip. I told her the service was very bad. I then called hotel management and they gave me credit for the cost of the meal. On the other hand, don't feel pressured to do something you are not comfortable doing, especially if you have no plans to patronize the business in the future. In other words, ignore the local customs. Always good travel advice, eh? Not really, I try to be flexible when observing local customs, but I will not be bullied into tipping, which I have seen happen. |
#30
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Tipping in USA/Canada
StephanieM wrote:
You know the part of the question I fail to grasp on this one is where are you coming from. The US dollar is in the tank. You have got to be benfitting from the exchange rate alone. Which question are you referring to?? While the US dollar is depressed it might encourage more tourism into The USA and stimulate the local economy. |
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